[CAH] Events and Announcements: 1) Moving Forward public Reports Release, 2) Amnesty International Benefit Concert

[Darcy Harvey]

Hello members, 

I'm sure you are all looking forward to the long weekend ahead, lets just hope that the sun has a chance to shine.
The following events and announcements are organized outside of CAH, if you have questions aboutthese events, please use the contact information provided below. 


Darcy

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1)
ANNOUNCEMENT
 
The Antigonish Women's Resource Centre, Pictou County Women's Centre and Every Woman's Centre, Sydney, announce the public release of the following reports and recommendations of the Moving Forward Initiative:
 
Struggling to Survive
Women on Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Provide Their Priority Areas for Policy Reform.
and

Survival Strategies
Key Recommendations to the Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Program.

                  Halifax North Memorial Public Library
                  2285 Gottingen Street, Halifax N.S.
                  Wednesday, May 24, 2006
                  12:30pm

The poverty of women is a growing crisis that is being fuelled by current policies of the Department of Community Services, according to two key reports to be released on May 24th in Halifax. The Moving Forward Initiative will be releasing two reports that identify critical areas and key recommendations for policy reform as they pertain to the Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Program in Nova Scotia.

According to the Department of Community Services, 17,083 women were on the ESIA caseload as of March 2006, and represent 56% of total recipients. To gain in-depth analysis of women's experience with the Employment Support and Income Assistance Program in Nova Scotia, the Moving Forward Project Coordinator traveled to eleven regions throughout the province to meet with women who have experienced the Employment Support and Income Assistance Program. The report, Struggling to Survive, documents the key areas for policy reform as identified by women who live on the front-lines of poverty.

According to Rene Ross, Project Coordinator, "Women on income assistance in Nova Scotia are making every attempt to survive a system that is fraught with restriction, challenge and discrimination that is well beyond the common knowledge of even the most interested observer." 

The findings of the Struggling to Survive report confirm the desire of women to adequately care for themselves and their families, contribute to their communities, find meaningful employment, and live a life independent of income assistance. Yet, current policies of the Employment Support and Income Assistance Program are actually hampering these efforts. The key areas for policy reform as identified by women living in poverty are illustrated through their struggles for food & shelter, their struggles to work, and their struggles to meet work and family demands. 

The recommendations in Survival Strategies were developed at the Moving Forward on Social Assistance Reform Working Session by women on ESIA, women's social justice organizations, equality seeking organizations and advocates. Recommendations in Survival Strategies include raising personal allowances by $75 a month, abolishing the 'parental leave policy' and allow single persons to keep the first $200 of their wages with the remaining benefits deducted at a rate of 50%. 

By alleviating the poverty of the poorest of poor women, we will be able to alleviate the poverty of all Nova Scotians. 
For more information or media requests please contact the Project Coordinator, Rene Ross.

Rene Ross, Project Coordinator
Social Assistance Reform: 
Moving Forward a Woman Positive Public Policy Agenda
1-6034 Compton Avenue, Halifax N.S. B3K 1E7
(902) 425-8047 or (902) 229-2366 (cell)
movingforward at eastlink.ca
 
A partnership of the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre, Pictou County Women's Centre and Every Woman's Centre, Sydney. Funded by the Status of Women Canada.
"Women should be seen as breadwinners, not as lacking men who are breadwinners" (Project Participant).


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2)
 
Amnesty International Halifax Benefit Concert on Saturday, June 3

The Halifax Chapter of Amnesty International is holding a Benefit Concert on Saturday, June 3, at the Italian-Canadian Cultural Association, 2629 Agricola Street. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 7:30 pm.
The Amnesty International Halifax Benefit Concert will be a fun evening of entertainment for the whole family. Samba Nova, Clearing by Noon (Sandy Greenberg, Rose Vaughan and Catriona Talbot), Patrick Thompson, and Las Niñas of El Viento Flamenco will provide musical entertainment. The Kitpu dancers will perform a drum and dance act. Leslie Carvery of Shake It Dance Studio will get everyone moving with some sultry Latin dance moves. There will also be performances by poet Marinda Lavut, storyteller David Woods, and sketch comedy group A Duck or Two will leave you laughing.


This event will raise money to support the work of the Halifax Chapter of Amnesty International. Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. The Halifax Chapter meets regularly to learn and have fun while taking action to stop grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. More information about the group's work will also be available at the concert.

Admission is $12. Tickets are available at the door only.
For more information, please contact the Halifax Chapter of Amnesty International at  actioncircle_a73halifax at yahoo.com, or call 479-2222.


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Media Advisory - For Immediate Release
MONDAY - May 15, 2006

 
 
Amnesty International Halifax Benefit Concert on Saturday, June 3

(Halifax) - The Halifax Chapter of Amnesty International is holding a Benefit Concert on Saturday, June 3, at the Italian-Canadian Cultural Association, 2629 Agricola Street. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 7:30 pm.. Organizing committee member Kim Cahill says, "The Amnesty International Halifax Benefit Concert will be a fun evening of entertainment for the whole family." Samba Nova, Clearing by Noon (Sandy Greenberg, Rose Vaughan and Catriona Talbot), Patrick Thompson, and Las Niñas of El Viento Flamenco will provide musical entertainment. The Kitpu dancers will perform a drum and dance act. Leslie Carvery of Shake It Dance Studio will get everyone moving with some sultry Latin dance moves. There will also be performances by poet Marinda Lavut, storyteller David Woods, and sketch comedy group A Duck or Two will leave you laughing.

Admission to the concert is $12. Tickets are available at the door only. All proceeds from the event will go to support the work of the Halifax Chapter of Amnesty International. The Halifax Chapter meets regularly to learn about human rights, while taking action to stop grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. "The money raised at the Benefit Concert will really help a lot with our letter-writing campaigns, and will help us raise our profile in Halifax and increase awareness of human rights issues," says organizing committee chair, Jena Martin.

For more information, please contact the Halifax Chapter of Amnesty International at  actioncircle_a73halifax at yahoo.com, or call 479-2222.
 
 
Background information 
Amnesty International 
Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. They are dedicated to building a world in which every person enjoys the rights included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. For more information on Amnesty International, please see their website, http://www.amnesty.ca/.
 
Halifax Chapter - Action Circle A73
Email: actioncircle_a73halifax at yahoo.com
The Halifax Action Circle A73 meets regularly to learn and have fun while taking action to stop grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month (except July and August) at Immigrant Services, 7105 Chebucto Road, Suite 201 from 6-8:00 pm. Most meetings include an educational component (e.g. short film or talk), discussion and letter-writing actions. The Action Circle has had two success stories with letter-writing campaigns. Letters were written on behalf of a human rights lawyer from Chechnya who was abducted from the street and on behalf of three women held in underground cells in Syria. In both cases there was a positive resolution and all were released.



For additional information, please contact:
Jena Martin, Organizing Committee Chair: martinjn at dal.ca or 446 8011

Kim Cahill, Amnesty International Activism Coordinator: amnesty at ns.sympatico.ca or 479-2222

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